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Our movie guy, James Finnegan, has the pick of the films on RTE/TG4 on Saturday night…
You might remember the 1995 Jumanji film, in which Robin Williams escaped from a board game chased by rhinos, elephants, monkeys and lions.
Well Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Saturday 6.35pm RTE1) smartly inverts and updates this premise, welcoming us to the jungle as we follow four teenagers into a video game, where they must meet various next-level challenges to secure their safe passage home.
The teenagers – Spencer, “Fridge”, Bethany and Martha – have been transformed into avatars. Spenser is now Dr. “Smolder” Brimstone (Dwayne Johnson), Fridge is zoolologist “Mouse (Kevin Hart), Bethany is Palaeontologist“Shelly” (Jack Black) and Martha as martial arts expert Ruby (Karen Gillan).
You can imagine how some of the body swap changes are played out, but generally this is a fun film with the usual snappy one liners and action scenes.
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Pitch Perfect 2 (Saturday 9pm RTE2) sees the return of the Barden University Bellas, an all-female a cappella singing group.
They have enjoyed an unprecedented run of success, until a disastrous performance sees them enveloped in scandal and banned from national competitions. They attempt to redeem their reputation by competing in the World Championships in Copenhagen.
Staring Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, SkylarAstin and others returning from the first film, this is directed by Elizabeth Banks in her directorial debut and who also takes on the role of Gail.
In Something’s Gotta Give (Saturday 9.20pm RTE1) an aging music executive and womanizer, Harry Sanborn (Jack Nicholson – who else?), and his young girlfriend, Marin (Amanda Peet), arrive at her family’s beach house in the Hamptons.
Unfortunately, they find that her mother, dramatist Erica Barry (Diane Keaton), also plans to stay for the weekend.
Erica is scandalized by the relationship and Harry’s sexist ways. But when Harry has a heart attack, and a doctor (Keanu Reeves) prescribes bed rest at the Barry home, he finds himself falling for Erica, who, for once, may be out of his league.
Directed by Nancy Meyers, this also stars Frances McDormand, Paul Michael Glaser and Jon Favreau.
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In Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool (Saturday 10.40pm TG4), real life proves to be just as dramatic off-screen as it does on it for ageing Hollywood superstar Gloria Grahame (Annette Bening), and her much younger lover Peter Turner (Jamie Bell).
Their romance waxes and waines over time, but events conspire to keep them in each others lives, even when circumstances prove both difficult and demanding.
The film is based on the true story of Gloria, who won the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the role of Rosemary Barlow in ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ in 1953/
With a wonderful supporting cast including Vanessa Redgrave, Julie Walters, Frances Barber and Kenneth Graham, and directed by Paul McGuigan, this is a well acted story that deserved a better reception on release, even though it, and especially Annette Bening, received a number of well deserved award nominations. Enjoy.
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